Hospital tray



E. H. M GUIRE HOSPITAL TRAY Aug. 25, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 4, 1962 //V VEA/TOR ELEANOR H. M GUIRE BUCKHORN, CHEATHAM 8 BLORE AT TORNE YS 25, 1964 E. H. MCGUIRE 3,145,841

HOSPITAL TRAY Filed May 4, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 in .ZL Q L@Q CD //V VE/V 70/7.

E LEANOR H. M GUIRE Fig. 6

BUCKHORN, CHEATHAM 8 RE ATTORNE United States Patent 3,145,841 HOSPITAL TRAY Eleanor H. McGuire, 9310 SW. 18th Place, Portland 19, Greg. Filed May 4, 1962, Ser. No. 192,415 8 Claims. (Cl. 206-72) My present invention comprises a hospital tray for use in administering medication to a plurality of patients in an efficient, orderly manner. An object of the present invention is to provide means whereby trays of medication may be made up for a large number of patients with the least possibility of error on the part of the person setting up such a medication tray in advance of the appointed time for administering the medication or on the part of the person actually administering the medication.

A further object of the present invention is to provide means of the foregoing character which is sturdy, economical, and may be easily sterilized and kept clean.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a tray of the foregoing character in which cards identifying the patient and the medication may be stood on end in a clearly visible manner, it being possible to employ packs of cards which may be easily read and checked. The present invention provides means whereby cards may be used and re-used without fraying their edges or bending them as has been the case with prior art devices.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a tray of the foregoing character which will ac commodate and retain in properly identified position medication such as pills or liquids, as Well as hypodermic syringes.

The objects and advantages of the present invention may be more readily understood by reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view, in perspective, of a tray in the process of being set up for later use, the tray itself being separated from and resting upon a pan which may or may not be used in conjunction therewith;

FIG. 2 is a View similar to FIG. 1 showing a shorter length of tray in association with a larger length of pan and showing how the pan may accommodate large objects such as pitchers of water and glasses;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the tray, emptied and nested within the supporting pan;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken substantially along line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken substantially along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partial vertical section, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a partial horizontal view looking upward from the plane of line 7-7 of FIG. 4.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 7 inclusive, a preferred form of the invention is described as follows:

The invention comprises a tray 10 which may be used in conjunction with a pan 11,'or may be used alone if desired. The tray itself comprises a single sheet of material, Which may be a sheet of anodized aluminum or other suitable metal, or a sheet of suitable plastic. The sheet is folded or otherwise formed to provide a plurality of narrow, elongated plateau areas 12. Each plateau area is separated from its neighbors by parallel troughs 13 and preferably the outer plateau areas are bounded by a parallel trough 14 at the forward edge of the tray and a parallel trough 15 at the rear edge of the tray. The plateau areas 12 lie in a first common plane and the bottoms 16 (FIG. 6) of each trough are of substantial width and lie in a second common plane parallel to the first plane. Each trough is provided with upwardly divergent side walls, there being a forwardly inclined front wall 17 and a rearwardly inclined rear wall 18. Each plateau area is provided with an elongated row of cup-retaining openings 19, which openings are also arranged in transversely aligned rows laterally across the tray. A plurality of divider means, such as metal tie rods, extend transversely between the transverse rows of openings 19 and adjacent the end edges of the tray, there being one long rod 20 at each end of the tray which extends across each of the troughs 13, 14 and 15, and a plurality of intermediate rods 21 which extend across the troughs 13 and 15 but do not traverse the forward bounding trough 14. The rods 20 preferably have their ends peened over so as to permanently retain the shape of the tray, but the shorter rods 21 may be headed at one end and provided with a threaded other end for reception of a nut 22 whereby the intermediate rods may be removed as desired. The rods extend across the tops of the troughs and lie closely beneath the plateau areas, dividing most of the troughs into small sections. A projecting tab handle 23 is preferably provided at each end of the tray, being suitably retained by screws 24, whereby the tray may be removed from the pan, and a suitable bail may be attached to the tray if desired (not shown) so that the tray may be carried about in one hand. Preferably identifying numbers 25 are provided on the upper surfaces of the plateau adjacent each cup opening 19.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the tray may be set up with a medication cup 30 placed in each cup-retaining opening 19. The medication dispenser may then place a plurality of identifying cards 31 in the open trough 14 at the front edge of the tray. As each cup is filled with its medication the card prescribing such medication is placed in the adjacent rearwardly disposed trough 13 or 15, being retained in transverse alignment therewith by the divider means. 'The rearwardly sloping walls 18 of the troughs permit the cards to lean rearwardly so that their surfaces may be seen and the identity of the patient confirmed as the medication is being administered. All of the troughs are of suflicient width that a pack of such cards may be placed in any of the trough sections, with some of the cards leaning rearwardly and others leaning forwardly against the inclined front walls 17, as indicated at 31a in FIG. 1. Therefore, the dispenser may flip through a pack of cards in the forward row 14, fill the corresponding cup, and place the pack in the proper position on the tray where the cards may again be flipped through by the administrator of the medication.

Also, the bottom walls 16 of the troughs are of sufiicient width that hypodermic syringes 32 protected by plastic tips may be placed in any of the troughs. Empty syringes may be placed, before filling or after use, in the open forward trough 14, as indicated at 32a. The filled hypodermic syrings may be placed in the appropriate troughs 13 and 15 with their needle ends projecting beneath one of the divider rods and their plunger ends resting upon the next adjacent divider rod, whereby the syringes are maintained in properly identified relationship with the particular patients.

FIG. 2 illustrates a modification wherein a tray made as previously described and used in the same manner may be employed in conjunction with a longer pan 111, thus leaving a portion of the pan free to retain a water pitcher 112 and a glass 113 or other large objects. Such a relatively short tray need not be provided with end handles since the fingers may be readily inserted beneath one end of the tray for lifting it from the pan.

Having illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention permits of other modifications in arrangement and detail. I claim as my invention all such modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A hospital tray comprising a single sheet of material having a plurality of parallel troughs formed therein and separating the sheet into a plurality of elongated plateau areas lying in a first common plane,

each of said plateau areas including a longitudinally extending row of cup-retaining openings therein,

said troughs having bottoms lying in a second common plane parallel to said first plane and upwardly divergent side walls whereby cards may be stood on end therein with some of said cards leaning forwardly against one of said side walls and others leaning rearwardly against the other of said side walls.

2. A hospital tray comprising a single sheet of material having a plurality of parallel troughs formed therein and separating the sheet into a plurality of elongated plateau areas lying in a first common plane,

said troughs having bottoms lying in a second common plane parallel to said first plane and upwardly divergent side walls whereby cards may be stood on end therein with some of said cards leaning forwardly against one of said side walls and others leaning rearwardly against the other of said side walls,

each of said elevated areas having a longitudinally extending row of cup-retaining openings therein,

said openings being also respectively aligned in transverse rows with respect to said troughs.

3. A hospital tray comprising a unitary sheet of material having a plurality of parallel troughs formed therein and separating the sheet into a plurality of elongated plateau areas lying in a first common plane,

said troughs having bottoms lying in a second common plane parallel to said first plane and upwardly di- 7 vergent side walls whereby cards may be stood on end therein with some of said cards leaning forwardly against one of said side walls and others leaning rearwardly against the other of said side walls, each of said elevated areas having a longitudinally extending row of cup-retaining openings therein, said openings being also respectively aligned in transverse rows with respect to said troughs, and a plurality of divider means spanning said troughs respectively between adjacent transverse rows of said openings whereby cards in said troughs are respectively maintained in identifying association with cups of medication retained in said openings. 4. A hospital tray comprising a sheet of material having a plurality of parallel troughs formed therein separating the sheet into a plurality of elongated plateau areas lying in a first common plane,

said troughs having bottoms lying in a second common plane parallel to said first plane and being sufliciently wide that packs of cards may be stood on end therein with some of said cards leaning forwardly and others leaning rearwardly, each of said elevated areas having a longitudinally extending row of cup-retaining openings therein, said openings being also respectively aligned in transverse rows with respect to said troughs, and a plurality of divider rods extending transversely of said troughs respectively between adjacent transverse rows of said openings and near the plane of said plateau areas whereby cards in said troughs are respectively maintained in identifying association with cups of medication retained in said openings. 5. A hospital tray comprising a metal sheet folded along parallel lines to provide a plurality of elongated plateau areas lying in a first common plane and separated from each other by open troughs,

said troughs having bottoms lying in a second common plane, each of said plateau areas having a longitudinally extending row of cup-retaining openings therein,

and a plurality of divider rods spanning the upper portions of a plurality of said troughs and extending continuously beneath adjacent plateau areas whereby said plurality of troughs are divided into transversely extending rows of card-receiving portions,

said openings being respectively aligned in transverse rows and said divider rods being positioned between said transverse rows whereby cards in said troughs are respectively maintained in identifying association with cups of medication retained in said openings.

6. A hospital tray comprising a sheet of material formed to provide a plurality of elongated plateau areas lying in a first common plane and parallel troughs 'between each adjacent pair of said plateau areas and bounding opposed edges of said tray,

said troughs having bottoms lying in a second common plane parallel to said first plane and upwardly inclined side walls whereby cards may be stood on end therein with some of said cards leaning against one side wall and others leading against the other side wall,

each of said elongated plateau areas having a longitudinally extending row of cup-{retaining openings therein,

said openings being respectively aligned in transverse rows,

and a plurality of divider rods extending across the upper portions of most of said troughs and immediately beneath said plateau areas between each adjacent pair of transverse rows of openings whereby cards may be retained in identifying association with cups of medication retained in said openings,

said troughs being of sufficient width to receive hypodermic syringes protected by plastic tips therein with their lower ends extending beneath one of said rods and their upper ends resting on an immediately adjacent rod,

and said rods extending across one only of said bounding troughs whereby the other of said bounding troughs is free of obstructions.

7. A hospital tray comprising a single sheet of material in a generally undulating form having a plurality of depressed, parallel troughs and also being provided with a plurality of elevated, parallel plateau areas having openings therein,

stiffening means holding the sheet in the generally undulating form,

and divider means positioned in the troughs to separate the troughs into card receiving portions positioned behind each of the openings in the plateau areas.

8. The hopsital tray of claim 7, in which the divider means and the stifiening means comprise a plurality of rods extending transversely to the sidewalls of the troughs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 166,734 Chandler May 13, 1952 2,221,191 James Nov. 12, 1940 2,249,265 Bauder July 15, 1941 2,826,347 Schiavo Mar. 11, 1958 2,827,063 Roy Mar. 18, 1958 2,895,609 Rajotte July 21, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 503,250 Germany July 19, 1930 

1. A HOSPITAL TRAY COMPRISING A SINGLE SHEET OF MATERIAL HAVING A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL TROUGHS FORMED THEREIN AND SEPARATING THE SHEET INTO A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED PLATEAU AREAS LYING IN A FIRST COMMON PLANE, EACH OF SAID PLATEAU AREAS INCLUDING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING ROW OF CUP-RETAINING OPENINGS THEREIN, SAID TROUGHS HAVING BOTTOMS LYING IN A SECOND COMMON PLANE PARALLEL TO SAID FIRST PLANE AND UPWARDLY DIVERGENT SIDE WALLS WHEREBY CARDS MAY BE STOOD ON END THEREIN WITH SOME OF SAID CARDS LEANING FORWARDLY AGAINST ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS AND OTHERS LEADING REARWARDLY AGAINST THE OTHER OF SAID SIDE WALLS. 